No escape from the First Noble Truth
False hope is a universal problem in the mainstream religions.
It is not only a problem in Christianity. It is also a problem in Buddhism. Many people come to Buddhism looking for some change, some improvement, something that will get them out of a pickle. Perhaps hope is not a problem in itself. The real problem is that they are expecting some external factors — a holy book, a guru, a savior, a technique, a system — to do it for them. And they expect some magical transformation. This is essentially a case of idolatry. It is also magical thinking.
In Buddhism, we have the Three Marks of Existence. They are:
- All conditioned things are impermanent.
- All conditioned things are dukkha (unsatisfactory)
- All dhammas (all things conditioned or unconditioned) are without self, i.e. without independent existence.
These basic laws of existence will not change, no matter how long you have practiced or how great your guru is. They are universal, immutable laws. Stop dreaming.
Perhaps we should go back to the First Noble Truth. Many Buddhists and Buddhist teachers try to sugarcoat it. They shouldn’t. Psychotherapist, M. Scott Peck, put it into an easily understood term that is accessible to all. He said in his book, The Roadless Traveled:
